About Scholarships

Scholarships are gift funds that are awarded to students based on criteria set by the donor or sponsoring organization. Examples include: academic merit; special talents, interests, or qualities; and financial need. Here are types and sources of scholarships that are typically awarded to eligible University of Michigan students, along with links to sources of more detailed information.

When you are admitted to U-M, you are automatically considered for most scholarships administered by the Office of Financial Aid and for many in Schools and Colleges. The University uses the My Scholarship Profile system in Wolverine Access to review student information, so be sure to update your information there. More about My Scholarship Profile

The U-M Office of Financial Aid administers a variety of scholarship programs that recognize superior academic achievement, leadership qualities, and potential to contribute to the scholarly community of the university. Some are awarded based partly on financial need and others reflect the university’s commitment to achieving a diverse student body.

In general, equal consideration for scholarships is given to eligible students who:

have been admitted to U-M by February 1 (note that a few scholarships have different deadlines), and

have applied for financial aid by April 30 (to be considered for need-based scholarships).

Graduate Students: The Office of Financial Aid administers only a few scholarships for graduate students (see the U-M Office of Financial Aid Scholarship Listing). The main sources of U-M graduate student scholarship/fellowship opportunities are your U-M school, college, or department (see below) and the Rackham Graduate School. You may also find non-university (private) scholarship opportunities for graduate students on our Private Scholarships page. If you plan to study abroad, the U-M International Institute lists a number of funding opportunities for graduate and professional school students..

U-M SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS

University of Michigan schools, colleges, and departments administer their own scholarships. For more information, contact the financial aid or scholarship office of the individual schools and colleges or your academic department:

Note: U-M school, college, and departmental deadlines and notification dates vary. The schools, colleges, and departments notify students directly if they are awarded one of these scholarships.

U-M ALUMNI CLUB SCHOLARSHIPS

University of Michigan Alumni Clubs throughout the country provide scholarships and awards for University of Michigan students from their communities. Scholarships are awarded to undergraduates on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, and community service. Amounts of these scholarships vary.

The State of Michigan administers a small number of scholarships for Michigan resident undergraduates. For more information, see the State of Michigan website. Non-Michigan residents should investigate scholarship opportunities offered by their home states.

PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Many private scholarships are offered each year by corporate, professional, trade, governmental, civic, religious, social and fraternal organizations. The amounts of the scholarships range from small honorariums to thousands of dollars. See our Private Scholarships page for a listing of free popular scholarship search engines that will help you apply for them.

Applying for private scholarships is time-consuming, so start as early as your junior year of high school.